Such so-called (full) metal self-inking hand stamps have been known for a long time, cf. U.S. Pat. No. 454,499 A, and have been appreciated for their robustness and long useful life. The frame, also called stamp housing, usually consists of a steel sheet part which, after having been cut out or punched out, is bent accordingly, cf. e.g. also AT 1 185 U1, FIG. 5. When actuating the hand stamp, i.e. when making a stamp imprint, the actuating bow is moved downwards along the frame that has been put onto a substrate, wherein the legs of the actuating bow, which is U-shaped in elevation, are displaced along the outer sides of the side walls of the frame. A tube attached on top of the cover plate of the frame allows for guiding and position-securing, which tube is telescopically insertable into a corresponding tube or the like receiving means in a handle on the actuating bow, the tube usually containing a helical compression spring, cf. e.g., also AT 380 836 B or AT 1 659 U1. An additional guiding of the legs of the actuating bow on the side walls of the frame is further obtained in that the bow legs are coupled with a turning axle or with axle stubs of the type unit, e.g. a simple stamp plate or a unit with belt types, the ends of this axle or of these axle stubs being guided in a slot guide in the side walls of the frame. However, neither this axle guide nor the telescopic tube are intended as the guide proper for the actuating bow on the frame, these components a priori much rather have other functions and, therefore, malfunctions to the point of canting or self-locking of the actuating bow on the housing of the hand stamp may very well occur.
For this reason, hood-shaped guiding parts of plastics material put on the frame have already been suggested in the past, cf. the afore-mentioned AT 1 185 U1 or also AT 1 659 U1, so as to guide the actuating bow on the metal frame by said hood-shaped guiding part. In this hood-shaped guiding part, also an insertion compartment for an ink pad holder has been provided above the metal frame. These hood-shaped guiding parts cause, however, substantial expenditures when producing and assembling the hand stamp. This is the more so for a steel/plastics composite design of frame and actuating bow, such as proposed in AT 501 318 B1, or also in DE 295 21 420 U1, e.g., where metal parts are received in fitting plastics parts.
On the other hand, a guide in the form of projecting side edges of the frame as disclosed in AT 380 836 B for guiding the respective leg of the actuating bow between these projecting side edges cannot be realized with a metal frame, but only with a plastic frame made, for instance, by injection molding. Such a plastic frame, however, does not have the sturdiness and endurance of a metal frame; it would, therefore, be desirable to enable an appropriate guidance of the actuating bows on the frame even in the event of a metal frame and metal actuating bows, i.e. with a “full-metal self-inking stamp”, without considerably increasing the expenditures involved in the manufacture and assemblage of the hand stamp.